Bomb tail



Dec. 19, 1939. c. F. LAMBERT BOMB TAIL Original Filed Jan. 22. 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. %ar7e5 Fla/ barf ATTORNEY5 T R E B M A L F. c

BOMB TAIL Original Filed Jan. 22, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORI. 6 750 /es F1100? bar-5 Patented Dec. 19, 1939 umrso sures BOMB TAIL Charles F. Lambert,

- Clayton & Lambert Detroit, Mich,

Detroit, Mich, assignor to Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Delaware Application January 22, 1936, Serial No. 60,161 Renewed October 20, 1939 11 Claims.

l This'invention relates to a bomb tail and more particularly to a knock-down bomb tail assembly.

Heretofore it has been the practice to weld the bomb tail housing and the tail vanes as an integral part of the bomb. The stowage of the com plete bomb, including the tail assembly as an integral unit, has presented a serious problem not only in the space such complete assembly takes in bomb stowage ammunition depots and aboard airplane carriers or other battleships but also in the size of the heavy magazine compartment used for stowing the bombunits.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a bomb tail assembly, or what may be termed a knock-down assembly whereby the parts forming the tail assembly may be nested so as to materially reduce the overall space heretofore necessary for the stowage of the complete bomb unit. Bomb stowage space in heavy armour plate magazines is at a premium whether on board ship or in ammunition depots; by nesting the knockdown parts making up the tail assembly, in the manner herewith disclosed, it is possible to materially reduce the size of the armour plate magazine compartments, or greatly increase the number of bomb units that may be stowed in the compartments now in use. Other features have to do with the fabrication and manner of attaching the bomb tail housing; the fabrication, manner of nesting and manner of assembly of the bomb tail vanes to provide a sturdy, easily assembled unit; and other specific details and assembly features as will be more clearly set forth in the specification and claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is an end view of one of the bomb vanes in the first step of its fabrication.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the vane shown in Fig. 1.

Figs. 3 and 4 are sectional views taken on lines 3-3 and 4-4 of Fig. 2, respectively.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged end view, similar to Fig. 1, but showing the forward legs of the vane bent tofinal shape.

Fig. 6 is an elevation of a bomb unit showing the tail vanes detachably secured to the tail housing. 7

Fig. 7 is an end view Fig. '6 and illustrating particularly the arrangement of the tail vanes to form the complete tail vane structure.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail view showing the vane parts assembled together to form the, complete tail structure.

Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken on line 9-9 of Fig. 8 illustrating the method of securing two of 'tail of the bomb unit shown in the tail vanes together and the method of streamlining.

Fig. 10 is a sectional view taken on line lit-l0 of Fig. 6 illustrating one manner of removably securing the tail vanes to the tail housing. 5 Fig. 11 illustrates the method of stacking the tail vanes together.

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating the preferred manner of detachably securing the tail housing to the bomb proper.

The main features of the bomb tail structure as embodied in the present invention, as distinguished from vanes of the prior art welded directly to the tail housing, are compactness, strength, andease of assembly. The design of 15 the tail vanes is such that they may be stowed in a comparatively small space as compared to the space required for an assembled vane, and this structure, which permits easy nesting, also insures an extremely sturdy tail vane structure when assembled.

My knock-down tail vane is preferably formed from four pieces of metal each stamped out and fabricated identically. In Figures 1 and 2, I have illustrated the first step of stamping out the tall vane, which may be generally designated 2; and this first stamping preferably takes the form of a flat web or reinforcing portion 3, a channel portion 4 on one side of the web and a channel portion 5 on the other side of the web, and leg mem- 3o bers 6 and 1, extending inwardly and terminating in attaching flanges 8 and 9. A portion between the web 3 and the legs 6 and I is cut away to leave a triangular opening Hi. In further fabricating this sheet metal vane, the front edge i I is turned over along the dotted line l2 so as to reinforce the web, and the side sections including the channel 4 and the leg 6 and the channel 5 and the leg "I are bent along lines indicated by the dotted lines and. IQ I i The manner of bending the side sections about the lines l3 and I4 is best illustrated in Fig. 5, where the entire side sections are bent, as a plane, to an angle of about relative to the web portion 3; the attaching flanges 8 and 9, being pref- 45 erably formed in arcuate shape so as to cooperate with the conical shape of the tail housing lb, of the bomb unit l6.

Fastening portions H are stamped out along the channel 4, and fastening portions l8 along the channel 5. The fastening portions H are merely struck-up embossed portions with an aperture i9 adapted to receive a bolt; and the fastening portions iii are similarly struck-up embossed portions but are provided with clinch-on 2 nuts 20 of any standard type. Figure 2 the din D type, but it As bestshovvn 1n ch-on nuts may be'ofthe plain 22, and engaged in the cllnch-on nut 20, will lie plane or contour formed by the matched portions 4 and 5.

The conical the bomb ship with the clinch-on nuts 30.

It will thus be seen that the tail vanes which form a considerable part will be sufilcienl; here to. state that.

What I claim is:

1. A knock-down bomb tail assembly, ing four vane members, identically fabricated, each having a web portion and vane side walls larly thereto-whereby the individual vane members may be nested to conserve space and a tail housing removably secured to the bomb proper, and fastening means, some of which are in the form of clinch-on nutsqfor securing the vane members together as an integral unit and to the tail housing.

6. A bomb tail of vane members, each vane assembly comprising a plurality member comprising side portions, channel side portions of adjacent vane members comprisbeing fastened together to form an integral tail assembly,

'7. A knock-down bomb tail assembly comprising a plurality of vane members, each vane member comprising a web portion and channel side portions, the channel side portions otadjacent vane members being fastened together to form an integral tail assembly, said channel side portions being formed at an angle relative to the web whereby the vane members may be nested together to reduce stowage space.

8. A knock-down bomb tail assembly, comprising a plurality of vane members, each having a. web portion and vane side walls formed angularly thereto, whereby the individual vane members may be nested to conserve space and a tail housing removably secured to the bomb proper, and fastening means for securing the vane members together as an integral unit and to the tail housing, one vane side wall in each vane member being provided with clinch-on nuts receiving fastening means inserted through apertures in an adjacent vane side wall.

9. A knock-down bomb tail assembly, comprising a plurality of vane members, each having a web portion and vane side walls formed angularly thereto, whereby the individual vane members may be nested to conserve space and a tail housing removably secured to the bomb proper, and fastening means for securing the vane members together as an integral unit and to the tail housing, one vane side walls in each vane member being provided with clinch-on nuts receiving fastening means inserted through apertures in an adjacent vane side wall, and clinch-on nuts formed as a part of said tail housing for receiving fastening means carried by the vane members.

10. A knock-down bomb tail assembly, comprising four vane members, each having a web portion and vane side walls formed angularly thereto and extending in opposite directions therefrom, whereby the individual vane members may be nested to conserve space, and fastening means for securing the vane members together as an integral unit and to a bomb housing.

11. A knock-down bomb tail assembly, comprising four vane members, each having a web portion and similar vane side walls formed angularly thereto, whereby the individual vane members may be nested to conserve space and a tail housing removably secured to the bomb proper, and fastening means for securing the vane members together as an integral unit and to the tail housing.

CHARLES F. LAMBERT. 

